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The Philosophy of Psychology
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The Philosophy of Psychology

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December 1996 | 416 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
This essential book provides a comprehensive explanation of the key topics and debates arising in the philosophy of psychology. In editors William O'Donohue and Richard Kitchener's thoughtful examination, philosophy and psychology converge on several themes of great importance such as the foundations of knowledge, the nature of science, rationality, behaviorism, cognitive science, folk psychology, neuropsychology, psychoanalysis, professionalism, and research ethics. The Philosophy of Psychology also provides an in-depth discussion of ethics in counseling and psychiatry while exploring the diverse topics listed above. The internationally renowned group of contributors to this volume both stimulating and informative. The Philosophy of Psychology will be invaluable for students and academics in theories and systems in psychology, cognitive psychology, cognitive science, philosophy of the social sciences, philosophy of the mind, and related courses.

 
Introduction
 
PART ONE: EPISTEMOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY OF SCIENCE AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Harvey Siegel
Naturalism and the Abandonment of Normativity
Harold I Brown
Psychology, Naturalized Epistemology and Rationality
Steve Fuller
Social Epistemology and Psychology
Michael E Gorman
Psychology of Science
Richard F Kitchener
Genetic Epistemology and Cognitive Psychology of Science
 
PART TWO: BEHAVIORISM, PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY
Max Hocutt
Behaviorism as Opposition to Cartesianism
Roger F Gibson
Quine's Behaviorism
Richard F Kitchener
Skinner's Theory of Theories
Ullin T Place
Linguistic Behaviorism as a Philosophy of Empirical Science
Richard Garrett
Skinner's Case for Radical Behaviorism
Joseph F Rychlak
Must Behavior Be Mechanistic? Modeling Nonmachines
 
PART THREE: COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND PSYCHOLOGY
Herbert A Simon
Computational Theories of Cognition
Mark H Bickhard
Troubles with Computationalism
C A Hooker
Toward a Naturalized Cognitive Science
A Framework for Cooperation between Philosophy and the Natural Sciences of Intelligent Systems

 
Karl H Pribram
Neurobehavioral Science, Neuropsychology and the Philosophy of Mind
Aaron Ben-Ze'ev
Typical Emotions
 
[ITAL]`Folk Psychology' and Its Implications for Psychological Science
Ullin T Place
Introduction
Nick Chater and Mike Oaksford
The Falsity of Folk Theories
Implications for Psychology and Philosophy

 
Barry C Smith
Does Science Underwrite Our Folk Psychology?
Ullin T Place
Folk Psychology from the Standpoint of Conceptual Analysis
Graham Richards
On the Necessary Survival of Folk Psychology
Elizabeth R Valentine
Folk Psychology and Its Implications for Cognitive Science
Discussion

 
 
PART FOUR: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY
Adolf Gr[um]unbaum
Is Psychoanalysis Viable?
Edward Erwin
The Value of Psychoanalytic Therapy
A Question of Standards

 
William O'Donohue and Jason S Vass
What Is an Irrational Belief? Rational-Emotive Therapy and Accounts of Rationality
 
PART FIVE: ETHICS AND PSYCHOLOGY
Hugh Lacey and Barry Schwartz
The Formation and Transformation of Values
Joseph Agassi
Prescriptions for Responsible Psychiatry
Jon Ringen
The Behavior Therapist's Dilemma
Reflections on Autonomy, Informed Consent and Scientific Psychology

 
Karen Strohm Kitchener
Professional Codes of Ethics and Ongoing Moral Problems in Psychology
William O'Donohue and Richard Mangold
A Critical Examination of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct

The Philosophy of Psychology...does more than review philosophical psychology as it exists today, but also tries to move the field in new directions. The last two sections bring philosohical reflections to issues in clinical psychology. The fourth section, Clinical Psychology and Philosophy, contains two articles on philosophical concerns about psychoanalysis - a traditional area - but breaks new ground with an article questioning the soundness of the concept of rationality underpinning rational-emotive psychotherapy. The final section, Ethics and Psychology, addresses a wide range of ethical issues in psychology, including psychology's implicit values and inconsistencies between scientific psychology's belief in determinism and its insistence on informed consent in therapy and experimentation. Of special interest to teachers of psychological practitioners will be two articles about the APA's code of ethics, one of which finds it seriously wanting, whereas the other finds it a good, if flawed, attempts to define professional "goodness".

The Philosophy of Psychology is a good introduction to the field it surveys. Almost all the articles can be read by someone unfamiliar with the topics discussed, and varying points of view are well represented. It might well serve as an auxilliary text in graduate-level courses in history and systems of psychology, whereas specific chapters might be assigned to courses in ethics, cognitive science, or philosophy of mind' - Contemporary Psychology

`The very wide-ranging nature of this book means that it should not only be of interest to those on courses devoted to the philosophy of psychology, but should also be relevant to courses on ethics, cognitive science and clinical psychology, at the least. One measure of a book's usefulness should be whether it has affected one's teaching. It certainly passes that test. I recommended it to my students' - Psychology Teaching Review


Useful text for students wishing to explore this area in more depth.

Mrs Sue Martin
BCAT, Basingstoke College of Technology
March 10, 2014

This is a book that will inform extension activities in the delivery of seminar and discussion/further reading aspects of an arts based course.
By developing awareness, through quotations and small sections of analysis on key perspectives, the book sheds light on the possibilities of new forms of interpretation of 'psychological experience' often the content for many of the student's projects. To aid students in seeing this experience from radically different perspectives is a valuable aim and application of this book, especially in preparation for Level 6 independent research. However, the language level (readability and comprehension) may be challenging to the majority of students and in this case provides extension activity for those either more mature or advanced students to do further reading.

Mr Tim Stephens
Dept of Arts, Media and English, London South Bank University
March 8, 2012

For instructors

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